Last week was an interesting one!
I am constantly given opportunities to practice acceptance and go with the flow. Last week the Universe wanted to throw me some curve balls and test my patience with technology, and anything tech related that could go wrong last week did.
I love technology when it works, but when it doesn't, I don't know how to fix it.
I was excited and prepared to facilitate an online presentation to 300 employees across Canada, and wouldn't you know it, my computer wasn't cooperating.
The techies on the other end tried to walk me through a few things, and their technology wasn't cooperating either.
What I found most touching is when we all realized this wasn't going to happen, I didn't react. I was calm.
My inner voice said, 'It's ok, it wasn't meant to happen'.
Then another part of me started to say, 'Yeah, but you should be upset.' I let this part speak. I was an observer. I didn't identify.
I was not upset or thrown off course. I made a cup of tea, sat down, and was inspired to record my 1-hour presentation and send it to them.
It was nice to observe the flow I had, and it felt so good to take a moment to pause and observe my response, noticing how I felt grounded in my body. I felt like a solid tree with deep roots in the earth, connected, alive, safe, and whole.
One of the main messages I intended to deliver in this talk was about how we can't control so many things in our day – people, delays, emotions, thoughts, work, world affairs, health, and weather; it's endless. We can, however, choose how to respond to the ever-changing landscape of our reality, and this is where our freedom lies.
“When you get out of the driver’s seat, you find that life can drive itself, that actually life has always been driving itself. When you get out of the driver’s seat, it can drive itself so much easier—it can flow in ways you never imagined. Life becomes almost magical. The illusion of the “me” is no longer in the way. Life begins to flow, and you never know where it will take you.”
― Adyashanti
My battle with technology didn't end there. As the week went on, more things happened, and nothing seemed to be going my way, yet everything was going as planned.
My biggest takeaway was the noticeable change in my behaviour, in my reaction, or lack thereof, to what was happening around me.
I know beyond a doubt, my ability to be in a state of flow and respond rather than react is the result of my continued commitment to the path of self-discovery. It is a moment-to-moment practice.
The support and wisdom from my teachers and teachings, and my sincere desire to know the truth of who I am, continue to guide me. Through thick and thin, I have never given up.
A consistent mindfulness practice changes our behaviour. We are learning how to respond rather than react and practicing living more in the now, in our bodies and experiences.
As we do this, we connect to the boundlessness of our true essence. No limits. Nothing to react to.
It can only happen when we are in our body, in the now, and have the courage and willingness to step into the arena of the unknown.
As Jon Kabit Zinn says," You can't stop the waves but you can learn to surf."
I don't know about you, but I want to surf. To be free. To not rely on outer circumstances to be perfect for me to feel happy or ok.
I want to feel that ok-ness inside, deep in my core, and know that it is not dependent on anything on the outside.
This freedom is available to every one of us. It is our True Nature.
It's all about being here right now and not focused on the future moment or stuck in the past.
I wrote this Mindful Monday in the 'last hour’, in the moment. I have only missed one week in years and years, and I certainly wasn't going to let this minor inconvenience or distraction get in the way! I wasn't going to let technology get the best of me. Instead, I surfed the wave.
With love,
Diane